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WASHINGTON: US authorities are investigating a bogus email purportedly from a Republican lawmaker that contained malware apparently aimed at giving China insights into the Trump administration’s trade talks with Beijing, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
The malware in the email that appeared to be sent by Representative John Moolenaar in July to US trade groups, law firms and government agencies was traced by cyber analysts to a hacker group — APT41 — believed to be working for Chinese intelligence, the newspaper said.
Moolenaar, a harsh critic of Beijing, is the chairman of a congressional committee focused on strategic competition between China and the United States, including threats to US national security.

The email was the latest alleged Beijing-linked hacking operation aimed at giving China insight into recommendations to the White House for contentious trade talks with China, said the Journal, quoting people familiar with the matter.
The Chinese embassy in Washington said it was not familiar with the details of the reported attack and that all countries face cyberattacks that are difficult to trace.
“China firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyberattacks and cybercrime,” it said in an emailed statement. “We also firmly oppose smearing others without solid evidence.” The Journal said the first malware email was sent just before US-China trade talks in Sweden that led to an extension of a truce on tariffs until early November, when US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping could meet at an Asian economic summit.
“Your insights are essential,” said the email that asked recipients to review proposed legislation attached to it.
Opening the draft legislation would have allowed the malware to give the hackers extensive access to the targeted groups, the newspaper said, adding that it could not be determined if the attacks had succeeded.
The newspaper said that the FBI and the US Capitol Police were investigating the email.
It quoted an FBI spokeswoman as saying that the bureau was aware of the email and was “working with our partners to identify and pursue those responsible.” The Capitol Police declined to comment, it said.
In a statement to the Journal, Moolenaar called the attack another example of Chinese cyber operations aimed at stealing US strategy. “We will not be intimidated,” he said.
The fake email came to light when staffers of Moolenaar’s committee started receiving puzzling inquiries about it, said the Journal, quoting people familiar with the matter. 

BRUSSELS: Tens of thousands took to the streets of Brussels on Sunday to express support for the Palestinian cause, days after Belgium’s foreign minister said the European Union’s credibility was “collapsing” because of its failure to act.
Police put the turnout at 70,000, while the organizers said 120,000 had marched through the capital.
Many of those who took part were dressed in red and carried red cards, symbolising calls for tougher measures against Israel to protect the civilians in Gaza.
“Some people dreamt of the fall of the Berlin Wall,” Ismet Gumusboga, a 60-year-old security worker, told AFP.
“Me, I dream of a Palestinian state for the Palestinians, where they can live like any other people.”
Samuele Toppi, a 27-year-old student, flagged the city’s role as a focal point for international politics.
“I think it’s really, really important that all students and people of any age should protest in this city,” he said.
Gregory Mauze, spokesman for the Belgo-Palestinian association ABP, said: “In the face of the ongoing genocide, the measures taken are not yet adequate.”
On Friday, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told AFP that the EU’s credibility on foreign policy was “collapsing” because of the bloc’s failure to act over Israel’s war in Gaza.
Belgium has said it will recognize the State of Palestine at this month’s UN General Assembly, and has imposed new sanctions against Israel.
The EU has so far failed to take action against Israel because of deep divisions among its 27 members.
Israel began bombarding the Palestinian territory after Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,368 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.